FAMILY LAB RID AE — SCHULTZ 219 



HEMIGYMNUS MELAPTEBUS (Bloch) 



Plate lOl.C 



Labrus melapterus Bloch, Naturgeschichte der auslandischen Fische, vol. 5, 

 p. 137, pi. 285, 1791 (type locality, Japan). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: Bikini Island, August 14, 1946, S-46-349, 1 specimen, 84 mm. 

 Likiep Atoll: Likiep Island, August 22, 1949, Univ. Washington, 1 specimen, 

 91 mm. 



Description. — Head 2.6 and 2.7; greatest depth 2.4 and 2.5; longest 

 pectoral ray 4.3 to 4.7; snout tip to anus 1.6 to 1.7; snout to dorsal 

 origin 2.2 to 2.3; all in standard length. Snout 2.2 to 2.3; eye 4.8 to 

 5.0; postorbital length of head 2.1 to 2.3; interorbital space 3.8 to 4.2; 

 longest pectoral ray 1.6 to 1.8; least depth of body 2.0 to 2.1, all in 

 length of head. Eye in fleshy interorbital space 1.2 to 1.3. 



Dorsal profile of head forming an angle of 60 to 65 degrees with 

 ventral contour of head; pectoral fin reaches to opposite ninth or tenth 

 lateral line pore; first or second outer soft pelvic ray longest, reaching 

 anus or nearly so; distal margin of caudal fin rounded on young; hps 

 white. 



Color in alcohol. — Dorsal part of head light brownish, lower sides 

 paler, ventrally whitish ; a broad white bar from dorsal origin through 

 pectoral base (and behind it ventrally for about half length of pectoral 

 fin), to pelvics, which are whitish; abruptly behind this bar the body 

 is blackish or dark brownish, including dorsal and anal fins; caudal 

 peduncle pale or light tan; caudal fin a little dusky posteriorly; pec- 

 toral hyaline; a small black spot at midbase of caudal fin and some- 

 times one or two more on middle of side. Larger specimens are 

 generally more brownish and the white bar is indistinct and mostly 

 confined to ventral part of body. 



Genus ANAMPSES Quoy and Gaimard 



^nampses QuoT and Gaimard, Voyage autour du monde . . , sur . . . VUranie 

 et la Physicienne, Zoologie, p. 270, 1824 (type species, Anampses cuvieri 

 Quoy and Gaimard). 



The following characters are useful in recognizing this genus: Dorsal 

 rays IX,12; anal 111,12; pectoral rays ii,ll or 12; branched caudal rays 

 6+6; lateral line pores to base of caudal fin 19 (rarely 18 or 20) +2+4 

 to 6; scales above lateral line to base of first soft dorsal ray 3 or 4, and 

 10 or 11 to anal origm; gill rakers about 6 to 8 + 1+8 to 11; body com- 

 pressed, snout normal; dorsal profile of head a little convex; jaws ter- 

 minal; a single pair of enlarged teeth at symphysis of each jaw, these 

 teeth flattish, chisel-like, with more or less a "cutting edge"; pair in 

 upper jaw curves outward and upward and those of lower jaw out- 

 ward and downward; sometimes a uniserial row of minute teeth on 



